In February, the EU passenger car market contracted by 1.0% compared to one year ago, despite some major EU markets showing a slight recovery, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. After a five-month decline, demand for new cars increased modestly in Germany, France and the United Kingdom last month. However, in Spain and Italy car registrations continued to decrease for the sixth consecutive month, the ACEA said. Publicly traded companies in the automaking space include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VLKAY).

The U.K. Government has published details of the U.K.'s temporary tariff regime for no deal, which it says is "designed to minimize costs to business and consumers while protecting vulnerable industries." The government is "publishing this approach ahead of the vote in Parliament on No Deal to ensure MPs are fully informed," it noted. Under the temporary tariff, 87% of total imports to the U.K. by value would be eligible for tariff free access. Tariffs would still apply to 13% of goods imported into the U.K., which includes a mixture of tariffs and quotas on beef, lamb, pork, poultry and some dairy to support farmers and producers who have historically been protected through high EU tariffs; retaining a number of tariffs on finished vehicles in order to support the automotive sector and in light of broader challenging market conditions'. However, car makers relying on EU supply chains would not face additional tariffs on car parts imported from the EU to prevent disruption to supply chains; in addition, there are a number of sectors where tariffs help provide support for U.K. producers against unfair global trading practices, such as dumping and state subsidies. Tariffs would be retained for these products, including certain ceramics, fertilizer and fuel. Publicly traded companies in the automaking space include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VLKAY). Reference Link

According to a report from David Shepardson of Reuters, the White House is trying to push automakers to get behind its plan to reverse "Obama-era fuel economy standards and bar California from setting its own emissions standards or requiring electric vehicles." Publicly traded companies in the space include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VLKAY). Reference Link

Daimler AG (DDAIF) and BMW Group (BMWYY) are to join forces on automated driving. Initially, the focus will be on advancing the development of next-generation technologies for driver assistance systems, automated driving on highways and parking features. The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop this technology, which is key for future mobility. The Daimler AG and BMW Group view their partnership as a long-term, strategic cooperation and aim to make next-level technologies widely available by the middle of the coming decade. Joint development work will be carried out via a scalable architecture covering several stages of automation, with Levels 3 and 4 enabling automated driving on highways. In addition, the two partners plan to discuss the possibility of extending their collaboration to cover higher levels of automation, both on highways and in urban areas. These considerations underline the sustainable, long-term nature of the cooperation, which includes the aim to create a scalable platform for automated driving. The development of current-generation technologies and ongoing collaborations of the two companies will remain unaffected and continue as before. Ongoing development of latest-generation technologies and existing collaborations will remain unaffected by the projected cooperation and go ahead as planned. The Daimler AG and BMW Group will also explore additional partnerships with other technology companies and automotive manufacturers that could contribute to the success of the platform.

In January, the EU market for commercial vehicles grew by 6.2% , according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association. Compared to January last year, total registrations increased from 188,102 to 199,853 units, "marking the highest January volume on record," the group said. Publicly traded truck makers and suppliers include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Paccar (PCAR), CNH Industrial (CNHI), Navistar (NAV), Cummins (CMI) and Allison Transmission (ALSN).

The BMW Group (BMWYY) and Daimler AG (DDAIF) are pooling their mobility services to create a new global player providing sustainable urban mobility for customers. The two companies are investing more than EURO$1 billion in total to develop and more closely intermesh their offerings for car-sharing, ride-hailing, parking, charging and multimodal transport. The cooperation comprises five joint ventures: REACH NOW for multimodal services, CHARGE NOW for charging, FREE NOW for taxi ride-hailing, PARK NOW for parking and SHARE NOW for car-sharing. "REACH NOW offers more than 6.7 million users simple, direct access to a range of mobility services through a single multimodal platform. CHARGE NOW is a service by Digital Charging Solutions GmbH, and its comprehensive charging network is a key contributor to zero-emissions driving. PARK NOW makes parking easier, on-street or off. The innovative digital parking service offers users the best possible parking solutions at a glance, allows them to reserve parking slots and manage their parking times, and enables ticketless entry and exit in public garages as well as cashless payment of parking fees. FREE NOW offers a variety of mobility services including taxis, private chauffeurs with rental vehicles, and state-of-the-art e-scooters, all at the tap of a finger. SHARE NOW is a free-floating car-sharing service that allows customers to rent and pay for vehicles by smartphone - anytime, anywhere. With their joint mobility services, the BMW Group and Daimler AG are responding to mobility needs of today and the future with a focus on cities. Digitalization is a key enabler as it creates new opportunities for individual mobility. Over time, customers will be able to use and experience additional mobility options from all-electric autonomous fleets that are available on demand, charge and park themselves, and connect with other modes of transport beyond road and rail."

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said that U.S. President Donald Trump and the European Union remain far from an agreement to avert threatened tariffs on European cars, Bloomberg's Matthias Wabl reports. The Austrian leader described the talks on the matter as contentious during a meeting with Trump, Wabl notes. Kurz and Trump argued over trade and energy policy during discussions at the White House on Wednesday, the report says. Publicly traded companies in the space include Daimler AG (DDAIF), Fiat Chrysler (FCAU), Ford (F), General Motors (GM), Honda (HMC), Nissan (NSANY), Toyota (TM) and Volkswagen (VLKAY). Reference Link